History of Welborn
In March 1999, Welborn Memorial Baptist Hospital was sold to St. Mary’s Medical Center. Assets from the sale provided resources for the Welborn Foundation and a separate entity, the Welborn Baptist Foundation – specifically created to preserve the Baptist heritage of the hospital.
Then on January 1, 2005, the Welborn Foundation and the Welborn Baptist Foundation merged their assets and operations to create one entity, the Welborn Baptist Foundation.
Welborn now exists to support both the geographies and the missions previously and proudly served by Welborn Memorial Baptist Hospital.
The Foundation opened its first grant cycle in April 2000.
Our Vision
Communities flourishing with the well-being, abundance and peace that God desires.
“Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!”
Isaiah 65:17-18a (NLT) – New Heavens and a New Earth
Our Mission & Legacy
Cultivating Communities that Flourish
As an organization, we have awarded over 1,816 grants, totaling 79 million in 14 counties over 23+ years. Today, more than ever, Welborn Baptist Foundation is focused on the value of partnerships in driving towards outcomes – moving the needles. Learning and growing together!
Our Funding Approach
Welborn seeks to help nonprofit organizations thrive and transform our community. We fund change in two important areas:
- Investing in Nonprofit Excellence. The most fundamental driver of change is a community with well-equipped, trained nonprofit leadership at all levels.
- Funding programs with high community impact, in critical focus areas. The Foundation has identified Early Learning, Healthy Eating & Active Living, and Christ-Centered Living as priorities for strategic investments. Each represents a pivotal area for significant improvement in this place where we all live, learn, work, play, and pray. Early learning gives kids the start they need for a lifetime of learning; healthy eating and active living promote a lifestyle of health; and Christ-centered living reaches all with the life-changing love of Christ.
How We Work
Longer, deeper grantee relationships – Our focused strategy allows us to have closer, more effective relationships with grantees – to accelerate community change through growing, sustainable organizations.
Emphasis on collaboration – The magnitude and complexity of these community issues exceed the capacity of any one organization to address. We seek increasing levels of collaboration among organizations, funders, and other community partners.
Measuring and sharing impact – We are committed to evaluating the impact of our investments, as well as fostering a commitment to measurement and improvement within the organizations we fund. We see evaluation as learning for refinement, not a report card.
Who We Serve
Welborn service area is comprised of fourteen counties in the Tri-State region:
Indiana: Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Warrick Counties
Illinois: Gallatin, Saline, Wabash, Wayne, and White Counties
Kentucky: Henderson County
Our People
Meghan Craven
Pat Creech
Eric Cummings
Amy Hanson
Andrea Hays
Patrick Jackson
Julia Lee
Roger Orth
Candice Perry
Hannah Sander
Jeff Seymore
Laura Stoltz
Liz Tharp
Krista Will
Board of Directors
Tricia Hollander Henning
Board Chair
Jeff Whiteside
First Vice Chair
Rick Moore
Secretary
Kathy Ettensohn
Treasurer
Amy Romain Barron
John Cinelli
Alan Clark
Scott Davis
Carrie Ellsperman
John Greaney
Anna Hargis
Mike Hull
Bobbie Jarrett
Jeff Knight
Christopher Pietruszkiewicz
Johnathan Pope
Stephanie Roland
David Smith
Kevin Valadares
Mark Weaver
John Benton
Board Fellow
Lily Durcholz
Board Fellow
Travis Johnson
Board Fellow
Tyler Stock
Board Fellow